Road leveler



l. NOR THON.

ROAD LEVELER- APPLICATION mu) APR. 8. 1921.

Patentedsept. 12, 1922.

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APPLICATION FILED APR. 8,192!- 1 28,973, Patented Sept. 12, 1922,.

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gwuantoz I sa W attozmg J. .NORTHON. ROAD LEVELER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 3,1921- PatentedSept. 12,1922,

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Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

UNITED STATES JOHN NORTHON, OF CLARE, MICHIGANQ ROAD LEVELER.

Application filed April 8, 1921. Serial No. 459,541.

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN NoirrHoN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Clare, in the county of Clare and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road Levelers, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to road graders, and more particularly to certain' improvements in road graders of the type and construction described and claimed 'inmyPatent 1,329,543 dated February 3,

My present improvements aim to provide a road grader of the above type having a riding device which will provide for proper steering as well as adjustment in the sev- 'eral respects to be hereinafter particularly Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete grader,

Figure 2 s a side view of the riding device looking atthe right side,

Figure 3 is a similar view look ng at the left side, I

F igure 4: is a detail view of the central portion of the axle with its'bolste ig Figure 5 is a plan view of the riding de- Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the traction shoes.

Figure 7 is a detail section of the central portion of the axle with its bolts taken at ri ht angles to Figure 4E.

Figure 8 is a longitudinal section showin the brake shoe.

. Figure 9 is a bottom plan view of Figure 4, and, k

Figure 10 is a detail longitudinal section along'the block between the reach bars.

Referring now to these figures and particularly to Figure 1 my invention has to do with road graders of the type embodying a central beam 10 projecting parallel with and between side beams 11 and elevated slightly above these side beams by virtue of crowned cross braces 12 providing for adjustment of the spacing of the side beams 11. The side beams 11 travel on the roadway surface in use by virtue of shoes 13 adjustable by connections including hand wheels 14, and the side beams also have hitch plates 15 for a chain hitch 16 adapting the grader to attachment in operation with either a tractor or draft animals.

The center beam 10 and side beams 11 cooperate in the support of inclined blade supporting bars 17, arranged in staggered relation, including a rear bar 18, for the support of the planer blades 19 and the grader blade 20, and for the purpose of the bar 18 and the grader blade 20, the rear end of the center beam '10 extends rearwardly beyond the rear ends of the side beams 11.

According to my present improvements traction wheels 21 are disposed upon opposite sides of the rearwardly projecting portion of the center beam 10 and are mounted upon opposite ends of a transverse axle 22, this axle being provided with a central bolster 23 having an upstanding king pin 24 and having depending spaced knees 25, the latter of which extend upon opposite sides of the rear end of the center beam 10 and have convex inner faces as seen in Figure 9 permitting the axle to be turned with respect to the beam with the king pin 24 as its axis of swinging movement.

For this purpose a reach 26 is utilized, preferably formed of a pair of parallel bars whose forward ends are curved downwardly and have transverse apertures 27 to receive a transverse pivot bolt 28' pivotally connecting this forward downturned end of the reach to the center beam 10 intermediate the ends of the latter. The bars composing the reach 26 are spaced apart by blocks including a rear block 29, the latter having a vertical opening to receive the king pin24c and being also provided with a laterally projecting pin 30 on which a grooved guide roller 31 is journaled at one side of the rear end of the reach.

Opposite the center block of the reach are secured spaced upstanding quadrants 32 engaged by the latch mechanisms 33 of a pair of control levers 3d and 35 having handles upstanding in front of the drivers seat 36 secured on a frame 37 in turn mounted upon and balanced above the axle 22.

The lower end of lever 34 has connected thereto. the forward upper end of a chain 38 extending rearwardly and downwardly connected to the forward end of a steering arm 39 whose rear end is pivotally connected. to one of the supporting clamps 40 'of the seat frame 37.

The center block 41 of the reach, through which the quadrants 32 are secured and through which levers 34 and i 35 are-fulcrumed, is also provided with a rearwardl y projecting arm 41 spaced below the reach as shown in Figure 10' to receive thereon andimovably support the cross bar of a U- shaped frame 42 whose rear ends are secured to the clamps 40. 1

In practice it is well known that road graders orroad maintainers of the general typeiirst above described and :as shown in my previous patent swerve to the rightor left too'readily and easily unless some form of guide is utilized in connection therewith, and it is equally well known that when properly guided itis oftendesired by the operator to swerve the rear end of the grader to the right or to the left'without changing the hitch on the draw chain. *My present dill, provem'ents by adding the 'tractlon and guide wheels 21 provide fortheefl?ective guiding of the scraper to avoid undesirable swerving and also by'vir'tue of the-fact that the operator by shifting lever 35 may swing the axle 22 around the center formed by the king pin 24, it is obvious swervi'ng of the "rear end of the-grader may beeitect'ed whenever this becomes either desirable or necesary ,l: I"i. l m

It is also obvious that in the use-of. the

grader withjmy present improvements the 'o'peratorby manipulating lever 34 may raise ='or loWer'the rear end of} the beam 10 and in 'this'way regulate the depth of planing of the grader or leveler. I Incarrymg out my present lDVGHtIOILlt will be noted that'as the seat'36 and seat frame 37 are supported on and balanced above the axle 22, all of the weight of the operator will be carried by the traction wheels' 21, thus holding the latter more stable and steady upon-the ground and at "the" sametime avoiding any additional wveight oi" bearing on the ground engaging shoes 13 of the side beams 1'1.

Referring now to the shoes 13', it will be noted from Figure't that each'shoe has an upper'br'acket 45 with which the lower end of the adjusting screw "46"of its hand wheel 14 is" connected, andeach shoe has a forward bra'cket47 whose upstanding portion is provided with a vertically elongated'slot 48 receiving therethrough a transverse bolt 49 of the respective side beam 11. The shoe also provides forthe reception of a detachable steel sole plate 50 and by its particular 3. In a road scraper having a frame "eluding a"center' beam,';a reach pivotally mounting, does away Witheall springsgwhile the slot in bracket 47 permits the front end ofthejshoe to seek its level when the adj'usting screw is turned up or down.

I claim: I

1. In combination with a road scraper havingxai'rear'wardly projecting center beam, a reach having a pivotal connection at its forward end with; the center! beamvan'd projecting at: its rear'portibn above andapproxr mately'parallel with 1the beam an aXleeeX- tend'in'g transverselytbetween the reariends of thevibeam and szreach', traction Wh el mounted upon: the ends; .of the-isaidi "axle fli opposite sides of: the bean-1 13K seat frame and seat supported on and balanced abovemthe said a xle, bolster; centrally; niitheaxlefhaving an"upstanding;king in honmahichzthe the rear end :ofuthelreach,xza steeringgarm; se-

cured to the axleatirthe opposite. side. ofithe reach, a pair of"controliileversefulerumedat opposite H sides of the i-reachiintermediaite .',the ends of thelattei-uiand having handlesnupstanding in' front. of the seat, aapivotal con nection between: one. of; said, levers: {and the said steering: arm, and :a fiexible connection secured at one end'cto the.;other leveri-and projecting iiea'rw-ardly and downwardly around the said roller; the ilower reamendez o'f the last mentioned:conneetionbeirig secured to the rearendofi the saixl';beam. 2.111 a road scraper having. a irameiim cludin'g a center beatmgaaz reaohepivotally acon nected at its forward end to thefsaidzbeamzto swing in a vertical -plane',zan; axle pivoted at its center to the rear end ofthe rea'emiwheels -on the endS "'Of the"Sa id 3x16; a lever "ffuling-a flexible connection with the "rear end ofthebeam. w w

connected at its forward: end ito the :said beam to SWlng 'lIFfl vertical -'plane,, an" axle pivoted at its center to therear endi of the. reach, wheels 'on' the ends of the said axle,

a lever fulcrumed on the reach and having 'connection*=with-the axle at-onesidesof the reach to control swinging mo vemeiitieff'the former; a seat and frame s'uppor-ted 'iorr the I axle, and means supported'b ythe reach and engaging "the rearend of the said beam for ralsing and'loweringthedattergw.i p 1 4. :"In a road-scraper having a rearwardly proj ecti-ng center beam; *a" reach; pivoted; at

its forward end to the beam, an ax-le across the rear portion of the beam pivotally connected to the rear end of the reach, wheels mounted on the axle at opposite sides of the beam, a seat and seat frame supported on and balanced above the axle, connections for raising and lowering the rear end of the beam with respect to the reach, and connections for swinging the axle with respect to the rear end of the reach for steering purposes.

5. In a road scraper having a rearwardly projecting center beam, a reach pivoted at its forward end to the beam, an axle across the rear portion of the beam pivotally connected to the rear end of the reach, wheels mounted on the axleat opposite sides of the beam, a seat and seat frame supported on and balanced above the axle, connections for raising and lowering the rear end of the beam with respect to the reach, and connections for swinging the axle with respect to the rear end of the reach for steering purposes, said connections including manual control levers mounted on the reach and upstanding forwardly of the seat.

6. In a road scraper having a center beam, a reach extending along and above the rear portion of the beam and having pivotal connection at its forward end thereto, an axle extending between the rear ends of the beam and reach and pivotally connected at its center to the reach, a seat supported by the axle, wheels mounted on the ends of the axle, and means mounted on the reach for controlling vertical swinging movement of the beam and horizontal swinging movement of the axle.

7. In a road scraper having a center beam, a reach extending along and above the rear portion of the beam and having pivotal connection at its forward end thereto, an axle extending between the rear ends of the beam and reach and pivotally connected at its center to the reach, a seat supported by the axle, wheels mounted on the ends of the axle, said reach having a side roller adjacent to its rear end, a flexible connection extending around the roller and secured at its lower end to the rear portion of the beam, a control lever to which the upper forward end of the flexible member is connected, and means for controlling swinging movement of the axle with respect to the reach as described.

8. In a road scraper having a center beam, a reach extending along and above the rear portion of the beam and having pivotal connection at its forward end thereto, an axle extending between the rear ends of the beam and reach and pivotally connected at its center to the reach. a seat supported by the axle, wheels mounted on the ends of the axle, means for controlling vertical swinging movement of the beam with respect to the reach, a steering arm secured to the axle at one side to the reach, and a lever mounted on and upstanding above the reach and operatively connected to the said steering arm of the axle as described.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

JOHN NORTHON. 

